The sun beat down on the asphalt, turning the long stretch of road into a shimmering ribbon of heat. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, a stark contrast to the gloom Ace knew awaited him.
The next day, Ace stood at the edge of a quiet highway, the Sakura Hurricane gleaming beside him. He needed to revisit Helheim, and soon. But not just to see what was going on. Ace needed to find a way to cut off what's going on there. And there was only one way to get there. The Sakura Hurricane, his ride. This time, it was going to be a little bit more than just a bike. He needs to reach its maximum speed and it will make a crack of its own.
He ran a hand over the smooth, metallic blue fairing, the pink sakura highlights catching the light. The bike, besides being his personal vehicle, could also serve as a makeshift Crack portal. But to do that, he would need to reach the Sakura Hurricane's top speed, about 200 kilometers per hour.
He glanced down the empty road, double-checking for any oncoming traffic. Good, all clear. He hefted himself onto the seat, the familiar weight of the Sengoku Driver settling against his waist. He clicked the helmet into place, the visor dropping with a satisfying thunk. Time to roll.
With a twist of the throttle, the Sakura Hurricane roared to life, the engine purring like a caged beast. Ace sped down the road, the scenery blurring past in a dizzying rush. He kept his eyes glued to the speedometer, watching as the needle climbed higher and higher.
Eighty... one hundred... one-fifty.... The wind screamed past his helmet, buffeting him with ferocious intensity. The bike vibrated beneath him, every inch of metal straining against the relentless speed.
"Come on, come on..." He muttered under his breath, urging the Sakura Hurricane to push harder.
One-eighty... one-ninety.... The needle trembled, hovering just below the mark. Ace grit his teeth, leaning further into the handlebars, willing the bike to go faster.
Then, finally, it happened. Two hundred.
A jolt ran through the Sakura Hurricane, the engine screaming in triumph. A swirl of pink energy erupted around him, cherry blossom petals materializing from thin air, dancing in the bike's slipstream. The world around him began to shimmer, the asphalt dissolving into a swirling vortex of light and color.
The bike began to spin, rotating in a vertical motion. The Sakura Hurricane was doing what it was meant to do. Ace held on tight, bracing himself as the transformation reached its peak.
The air cracked, and a jagged fissure tore open in reality, glowing with an eerie green light. Helheim. Ace stared into the swirling abyss, his heart pounding in his chest. There was no turning back now.
With a final surge of power, the Sakura Hurricane plunged into the Crack, Ace and his bike disappearing into the swirling chaos.
[Whoosh]
The Crack spat him out into the familiar, unsettling landscape of Helheim. Twisted trees clawed at the sickly green sky, and the air hung thick with the scent of decay and strange, alien vegetation.
Ace brought the Sakura Hurricane to a halt, the engine's roar shattering the eerie quiet. With a quick movement, he deactivated the bike, transforming it back into its Lockseed form. He clipped the Lockseed onto his belt, securing it alongside the Sengoku Driver.
"This place gives me the creeps," Momotaros muttered in his mind. "I can smell a ton of Inves nearby."
"That's not exactly breaking news," Ace retorted mentally. "This is their home turf, after all."
Knowing the dangers that lurked in the putrid forest, Ace equipped the Sengoku Driver. No point being caught off guard. He might need to transform at a moment's notice. He had a goal in mind and to do that he would need to act quickly.
With a sigh, Ace began to move, stepping into the shadows of Helheim. The gnarled trees loomed over him, their branches intertwined like skeletal fingers. He pressed on, his senses on high alert.
He walked through the dense foliage, looking for any sign of Dai-Shocker's presence. The forest floor was a carpet of decaying leaves and strange, pulsating fungi, the footing treacherous and uneven. The place hasn't changed a bit. Still as nasty as ever.
Ace navigated the twisted paths, pushing aside thorny vines and swatting away swarms of iridescent insects. The silence was almost deafening, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the occasional screech of some unseen creature. He noticed Inves of all shapes and sizes, the creatures regarded him with animalistic hunger. But he was not their target, not yet.
After what felt like hours, Ace stopped. Something felt off. There, amidst the chaos of Helheim, was something else that does not belong.
Above the usual forest sounds, he detected a low, mechanical rumble. Vehicles? That made no sense. What kind of psycho would drive through this place? And more importantly, how?
Go check it out, Momotaros ordered.
Hold your horses, Momotaros. We're going to be careful.
He crept forward, using the dense foliage to his advantage, moving silently through the alien undergrowth. The noise grew louder, a distinct whirring and grinding that could only come from machinery. He reached the crest of a small hill and peered over, his eyes widening in surprise.
A camp. A human-made camp, carved out of the heart of Helheim. The sight was almost surreal. Makeshift tents and metallic structures stood in stark contrast to the organic chaos of the forest. Wires snaked across the ground, connecting various pieces of equipment, and floodlights cast an unnatural glow on the scene.
What grabbed Ace's attention, were the vehicles. They were like nothing he had ever seen, but somehow familiar. Lock Vehicles, like the Dandeliner and Tulip Hopper, modified beyond recognition. Larger, more imposing, with extra armor plating and strange attachments. These were not ordinary exploration vehicles; they were designed for something else entirely.
He spotted figures moving about, clad in sterile gowns and goggles. Scientists, judging by their demeanors. They tinkered with equipment, took samples of the vegetation, and conferred in hushed voices. This was no mere research expedition. It was an operation.
But what drew Ace's gaze, what sent a chill down his spine, was in the center of the camp. A Crack. A massive one, pulsating with raw power, its green light bathing everything in an eerie glow. This Crack was clearly being artificially maintained, its edges stabilized by some kind of technological apparatus.
Well, well, well. Looks like we found what we were looking for, Urataros mused in Ace's mind.
Dai-Shocker, Kintaros rumbled.
This is bad, Ryutaros added. Really bad.
Ace agreed. He and the Taros had a gut feeling. The scene before him was all sorts of wrong. This wasn't just a small-time operation. Dai-Shocker had a real presence in Helheim. And they were up to something big. Something that could change the fate of the world. He knew what he had to do. Get in, find out what they're up to, and shut it down. Simple as that.
***
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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz